The present invention relates to a rack, and more particularly to a valet rack for storing ties and the like and other items of apparrel or jewelry. The invention also relates to subcombinations relating to the hangers and to the means of securing drawers in place.
The art is replete with racks which are designed to serve various purposes, for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,594 to MacCluney discloses a rack for pre-tied neckties. This rack comprises a baseboard with rods having discs extending therefrom, projecting out from the baseboard. The rods are spaced apart and aligned so that a pre-tied tie may be placed with one side on each of two of the rods between two of the discs. This can be a singular arrangement or can be arranged in groups.
Another rack designed to display automobile fan belts is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,246,081 to Van Nattan, in that arrangement a number of downward projecting hooks are movably on a horizontal bar. The hangers are longitudinally movable as well as pivotally movable about the bar. Each hanger is arranged adjacent to the next hanger.
A similar arrangement to that of Van Nattan is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,568,852 to Howard which shows a series of hangers slidably mounted on a horizontal bar.
Another type of hanger frequently found in the prior art is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,051,408 issued to Karst comprising a bracket having a plate for mounting onto a surface and two substantially parallel rods extending perpendicular from the base plate.
Although all of these inventions are indeed meritorious, there are certain deficiencies which the present invention sought to overcome. For example, the Van Nattan device although potentially movable along the rod, is not designed for that type of operation and is designed merely to have each hanger rotate about the rod and allow access to the hook portion when the hanger is rotated out of alignment with the other hangers. This does have restrictions on the amount of space available for the insertion of items onto the hanger. The MacCluney device is quite similar to the individual bracket arrangements as shown by Karst. For limited applications these arrangements are quite adequate, however it should be appreciated in order to hold a substantial amount of items, that large wall surfaces will be required, and with a large number of rods projecting outward from the wall. The Howard sliding carrier means provides for no arrangement other than random placement of the hangers on the rod, and is designed for rather large bulky carrying operations, for example in the textile industry for carrying material samples or the like.
In the present invention a unique closure method has been developed for maintaining the drawer compartments of the valet rack in a closed position, and thereby secured in such closed position. Although the prior art may have many unique methods of fastening a drawer in the closed position, not many of these are relevant to the present invention, however, U.S. Pat. No. 3,048,462 to Fisher discloses a unique method for sealing a drawer opening in a refrigerated cabinet when the drawer is removed therefrom. This method of sealing consist of a metal plate, magnetically held on the back of the drawer, said plate being larger than the opening through which drawer passes and magnets being mounted internally of the opening so that as the drawer is withdrawn through the opening, the larger metal plate is grasped by the magnets about the opening and broken free from the magnets holding it on the back of the drawer, thereby providing a seal for the opening. Thus, although the opening may be sealed, this arrangement does not relate to securing the drawer.
The desirability of some manner of securing a drawer in the closed position, relates to drawers which might be mounted in movable areas such as mobile homes, ships, barges, mobile workshops, and the like. It would be desirable to have drawers which would not easily come open but which could be opened with only a minimal exertion of manual force, and which do not involve complicated and expensive latching devices, which can add both to the initial cost and result in maintenance upkeep.
It is an advantage of the present invention that there are no forward projecting rods, which may present a hazard yet the hanging means are provided which function in the same fashion as many as the prior art devices. Furthermore, because of the particular arrangement of the present apparatus a number of items may be stored on each hanger and yet the hanger may occupy only a very small space out from whatever surface it is mounted onto. Another feature of the present invention is that the hangers are always maintained in a closed position when not being used for placing or removing items thereon. A particular feature of the present invention is that the hangers may be separated when access thereto is sought so that a substantial amount of space is available for removing or placing items thereon. It is a particular feature of the present invention that it may be incorporated with other novel elements to form a unitary device suitable for use as a valet rack for men and women. It is a particular feature of the present invention that novel means for securing storage compartments in a closed position are disclosed. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the invention in regard to the drawings.